Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)
I am a Certified EFT Practitioner (EFT Cert - 1) and as far as possible I use this amazing technique as originally taught by its founder, Gray Craig. However, EFT is a very flexible tool and it is sometimes appropriate to adapt delivery to suit the individual situation, based on my own experience and training.
The complete, standardised training is offered at www.emofree.com, where you can also download the free EFT manual, instructional DVDs and much more.
What is Emotional Freedom Technique?
Emotional Freedom Technique, often called "tapping", takes an holistic approach to healthcare, giving clients a simple but highly effective tool to help themselves. EFT has been likened to acupuncture without the needles, and involves tapping acupuncture points on the meridians whilst focusing on your problem. This balances the meridian energy, dissolving the problem.
The unprecedented rapid growth of EFT is testimony to its success rate. Results are usually rapid, giving permanent relief and often working where other more conventional methods have failed. Even better, as clients can use it effectively to help themselves, they only need to see a therapist when they are 'stuck', reducing costly therapy to a minimum.
Emotional Freedom Technique is so called because it gives you freedom from the negative emotions preventing you from performing to your full capacity and maintaining full health. Hence it comes under the umbrella of Energy Psychology/Energy Medicine, and also Meridian Energy Therapy. EFT is suitable for almost any problem - I even use it successfully to find my car keys!
What Happens in an Emotional Freedom Technique Session
Consultations can be held in person or by telephone, email or SkypeTM, and I also offer group sessions. Feel free to get in touch if you would like to find out more.
In an EFT session the client sits fully clothed in a comfortable position. Having identified the problem to be resolved we decide on a benchmark for success, and use this to assess progress throughout the session. During the session the client repeats affirmations and reminder phrases as they tap on certain meridian points.
Tapping may release a memory, a person, a scene, a smell, a colour, a physical sensation or an emotion that is involved in the problem, which is then tapped on. No two sessions are the same and it can take any direction, often seemingly unrelated to the problem at the time. However, once the problem is resolved there is often an 'Aha!' as the client realises what has been standing in their way, and is able to see new choices.
You may experience sensations increasing and decreasing, emotions rising to the surface and then dissolving as they are tapped on, tension being released in the body and a whole lot more. Quite often a client will say, "I feel as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders", or "I feel much lighter / relaxed / calm", or simply "it has gone!".
Emotional Freedom Technique can also be used surrogately - i.e. you can treat someone by means of someone else. This is especially useful when dealing with children and animals. It means they can be treated without adding further stress to their lives, and in the case of children, without adding to their problems the idea that they are not 'normal'. I have found this method especially useful when trying to help children from difficult backgrounds, suffering from trauma, or phobias, or with emotional and behavioural problems.
Even if you have a problem that you do not want to share with your therapist because it is so personal, it is still perfectly possible to work on that problem and resolve it.
Group Sessions
I find that tapping with others in a group session can often enhance the effect for all participants. In the group, each person may take a turn to choose the issue to focus on, then everyone taps on that issue together. The group energy helps the person resolve the problem more easily, whilst everyone else benefits as different aspects of the issue resonate with their own experiences and emotions.
Tapping together in this way can therefore be an ideal alternative to one-to-one sessions, as well as reducing the cost of individual treatment.
Benefits of Emotional Freedom Technique
- Freedom from the negative emotions that cause ill health
- Eases physical problems - back pain, headaches, breathing problems, digestive problems, inability to conceive, frozen shoulder, dizziness etc.
- Clears emotional problems - trauma, PTSD, panic attacks, phobias, cravings, relationships, bereavement, anger, worry, depression etc.
- Mental and perception problems - dyslexia, going blank when viewing a column of figures, lack of concentration etc.
- Spiritual problems - unable to go to church, unable to ground and be in the now, spiritual unease and so on
- Performance problems - sports, business, personal
- Self-development/Self-growth
- Blocks to achieving goals and personal potential
- Surrogate use - helps pets, children and others unable to tap for themselves
- Group sessions - reduce cost of therapy
- Telephone or Skype sessions - ideal for those with agoraphobia or those who can't get to the therapist of their choice
- Integrates well with other therapies - e.g. notable successes have been the use of EFT with Reflexology for difficulty conceiving
- Empowers the client - easily learnt and used, it gives you freedom and control over your own healing, with the added bonus of cutting costly therapy to a minimum
The client below was immobilised by her problem and getting nowhere fast. She had one session with me, and was able to do the rest by herself.
"Dear Amanda,
May I say thank you for all your help as I can now use the techniques for other 'problems' I encounter. I found EFT a new technique which I approached with some sceptism as I didn't fully understand how it works, and still don't. Things in life were getting in me down. I had a few sessions with my reflexologist who is training, and then had a session with you. I have been able to work through a major issue in my life and carry on. There are things which are still an issue but I know how to deal with them using EFT and it's all coming together for me. I would recommend it to others who are struggling."
Ruth M.
The bottom line is that if you have an unresolved problem of some kind, it is likely that you will be able to get relief using EFT. I cannot do justice to the benefits of EFT in this small space so I urge you to take a look at my past successes, and the vast array of case histories featured on Gary Craig's website www.emofree.com.
